Praying behind someone who makes amulets

Question

Is it permissible to pray behind an imaam who makes amulets for people, then if a drought comes he tells the people to buy a ram or a cow, and to slaughter it and let the young boys eat it at the time of the drought, so that rain will come? Is it permissible to pray behind an imaam who makes vows and offers sacrifices to something or someone other than Allaah?

Answer

Praise be to Allaah.

Firstly: it is permissible to pray behind one who writes
amulets from the Qur’aan and prescribed du’aa’s, but he should not write
them, because it is not permissible to hang them on one’s body or elsewhere.
But if the amulets include anything that constitutes shirk, then you
should not pray behind the one who writes them. It should be explained
to him that this is shirk and the one who should do that (explain this)
is one who has knowledge of this matter.

Making vows to anyone or anything other than Allaah is
shirk, and offering sacrifices to anyone or anything other than Allaah
is shirk, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And
whatever you spend for spendings (e.g., in Sadaqah — charity for Allaah’s
Cause) or whatever vow you make, be sure Allaah knows it all

[al-Baqarah 2:270]

“Say
(O Muhammad): “Verily, my Salaah (prayer), my sacrifice, my living,
and my dying are for Allâh, the Lord of the ‘Aalameen (mankind, jinn
and all that exists).

[al-An’aam 6:162]

And because the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “May Allaah curse
those who offer sacrifices to anyone or anything other than Allaah.”

Vows are also implied by the word “nusuki”
(in al-An’aam 6:162, translated here as “my sacrifice”).

Secondly: It has
not been reported that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) ever commanded anyone to
buy a ram or a cow to slaughter it and let the young boys eat it when
there was a drought, in order to make rain fall. What is prescribed
in such cases is Salaat al-Istisqaa’ (prayer asking for rain), du’aa’,
praying for forgiveness and giving in charity. The action described
in the question is a bid’ah (reprehensible innovation) which has no
basis in the pure sharee’ah of Islam. It was reported in a saheeh hadeeth
that the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever does an action that is not in
accordance with this matter of ours (i.e., Islam), will have it rejected.”

And Allaah is the source of strength. May Allaah bless
our Prophet Muhammad and his family and companions, and grant them peace.